Bernoulli Numbers: from Ada Lovelace to the Debye Functions

Amelia Carolina Sparavigna (1)

1 Polito - Politecnico di Torino = Polytechnic of Turin

Jacob Bernoulli owes his fame for the numerous contributions to calculus and for his discoveries in the field of probability. Here we will discuss one of his contributions to the theory of numbers, the Bernoulli numbers. They were proposed as a case study by Ada Lovelace in her analysis of Menabrea's report on Babbage Analytical Engine. It is probable that it was this Lovelace's work, that inspired Hans Thirring in using the Bernoulli numbers in the calculus of the Debye functions.

Mots clés: History of Physics; Ada Lovelace; Debye Functions; Debye specific heat

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

Amelia Carolina Sparavigna. Bernoulli Numbers: from Ada Lovelace to the Debye Functions. 2016. ⟨hal-01327426⟩